CHAPTER SEVEN (Part Three)

                                    

                                          
                    CHAPTER SEVEN (Part Three)
                          
‘Now just a minute, Mr Tucker,’ Mr Cedric sprang to his feet. ‘I’ve heard enough of this. Rosalind Trevellian is a relative of my family even though distant. I know her background. She is the daughter of a parson.’
                          
     Joshua shook his head, his expression lofty. ‘She has hidden her true nature from you, sir. Would you have her corrupt your daughters? I think not.’
                          
     ‘What you say is preposterous!’
                          
     ‘Can you go against the evidence of these two decent working men?’ Joshua shook his head sagely again. ‘She has deceived you, sir. I tell you she is putrid with sin and depravity. As a man of God I see it clearly and it offends my eyes.’
                          
     He turned away theatrically and threw up an arm across his face as though warding off some visible evil. The effect on the congregation was immediate. Some got to their feet and stared at Rosalind with hostile gaze. She stared back and was all at once frightened.
                          
     ‘This is outrageous!’ Mr Cedric exclaimed loudly.
                          
     ‘Yes, outrageous,’ Joshua said without turning his face. ‘Outrageous that a creature such as this should bring her filth to the decent people of this village.’  
                          
‘Stone her!’ Mrs Gilbert’s hysterical scream acted like a spur.
                          
Rosalind immediately started forward and ran down the aisle to the door. There were boos and catcalls as she went. She ran like the Devil was after her and did not stop until she reached some way up the road. She stopped for a moment then.
                          
 The Devil did not follow her. He was still inside standing in the pulpit.
                          
At that moment she knew without any doubt in her mind that Joshua Tucker was no true clergyman. He was an impostor. She did not understand how that could be, but every fibre of her being told her it was true.
                          
Her enemy, Mrs Gilbert was behind that terrible scene in the church. That was obvious too. It followed logically that the housekeeper and the bogus curate were in league. Why that should be she could not guess. She needed time to think and puzzle it through.
                          
But there was no time now. Looking back along the road she saw people spilling out of the church. Rosalind ran on up the road towards Cliff House. She did not want to be overtaken by the Trevellian landau so when the opportunity presented itself she joined the cliff path making her way back to the house that way. She hoped she could sneak in some way without being seen.
                          
Although she was innocent of the infamous charge she felt ashamed and that made her angry. She should expect Sir Leopold’s protection but he had just sat mutely in the church while her reputation had been torn to shreds and had said not one word. Only Mr Cedric had stood up for her. But the weight of the false evidence against her had even defeated him.
                          
Rosalind walked on meeting no one and finally left the path at Cliff House. She waited a moment fearing to move forward. She saw the trap arrive with George at the reins. She glimpsed Mrs Jowett, Linda and Maggie as it went around to the back entrance. Mrs Gilbert was not with them. Obviously, she had travelled back triumphantly in the landau with the family.
                          
Still Rosalind paused afraid to move from where she was. She would give all she had, she thought, not to have to enter that house again. She wanted to run away and hide.
                          
How could she face anyone even though she was innocent? Mud sticks and people were only too glad to believe anything. Sir Leopold would probably dismiss her immediately and she would be glad to go now.